Now waiting for 2018 repress, endlessly delayed... Originally released by Weyrd Son Records in 2014. Perte D'Identite is the debut LP by composer, singer, and poet Marie Davidson, one of the finest artists rising from the electronic dark-synth scene in Montreal. Her voice is a stark, half-spoken monotone which will tell you stories from which you can't escape unchanged. With Perte D'Identite, she refines her storytelling with suffocating tales that are both intimate and melancholic. Meanwhile, her miraculously human electronic rhythms are as frantic and hypnotic as an intense stare. In her premier full-length album, she invites you to take a look in the peephole, revealing a fascinating cinematic picture. What you will see are the parts of yourself which you're scared and ashamed of, but also the ones that reveal a haunting and glamorous sensuality. Includes a remix by Cristobal U & The Mole.

Double LP version. Gatefold sleeve. Z Records continues its commitment to unearthing the obscure and long forgotten tracks from the last 40 years through the ever-popular Under The Influence series. Following on from Red Greg, Paul Phillips, James Glass, Nick The Record, and Sean P it's now the turn of one of the scenes most respected live disco acts and renowned DJs, Faze Action. Robin and Simon Lee, aka Faze Action, were championing disco and all its Afro off-shoots back in the mid '90s when it certainly wasn't the latest trend to do so. "By the mid-90s we were heavily into disco. Fueled by radio shows from the likes of Norman Jay as well as conversations with customers in the record store where I worked, who were all super obsessed, we would talk disco for hours," remembers Simon Lee. It was however their Turn The Point (1996) and In The Trees (1996) releases on nuphonic records that shaped the Faze Action sound and played a large part in coining the term nu-disco. Fast forward 20+ years and the brothers are still pushing the modern disco sound with their live sets and studio productions as Faze Action. Alongside their studio work they've always been serious record collectors so their selections for this latest Under The Influence album are reflective of their extensive collecting and digging history. As Simon confirms, "searching for and buying old records helps to keep our musical thirst alive and is a constant source of inspiration for both our DJ sets and our original productions." Here they've included tracks taking in Afro, Italo, soul, funk, disco, with many of the tracks costing hundreds if you were able to find the originals. Included in the booklet are extensive track notes from Faze Action highlighting what they know about these records and, where they are super-rare and obscure, what they don't. As always with Z Records compilations, a lot of time and effort has been spent on creating these masters from the original vinyl, cleaning them up, removing all the clicks and pops resulting in the cleanest sounding copy possible. Features Carol Dionne, Space, Mikki, Starz, Leston Paul, Michele Claire, Galaxy, Midway, Songhoi Band, Stylus, Oscar Perry, and Spats.

Z Records continues its commitment to unearthing the obscure and long forgotten tracks from the last 40 years through the ever-popular Under The Influence series. Following on from Red Greg, Paul Phillips, James Glass, Nick The Record, and Sean P it's now the turn of one of the scenes most respected live disco acts and renowned DJs, Faze Action. Robin and Simon Lee, aka Faze Action, were championing disco and all its Afro off-shoots back in the mid '90s when it certainly wasn't the latest trend to do so. "By the mid-90s we were heavily into disco. Fueled by radio shows from the likes of Norman Jay as well as conversations with customers in the record store where I worked, who were all super obsessed, we would talk disco for hours," remembers Simon Lee. It was however their Turn The Point (1996) and In The Trees (1996) releases on nuphonic records that shaped the Faze Action sound and played a large part in coining the term nu-disco. Fast forward 20+ years and the brothers are still pushing the modern disco sound with their live sets and studio productions as Faze Action. Alongside their studio work they've always been serious record collectors so their selections for this latest Under The Influence album are reflective of their extensive collecting and digging history. As Simon confirms, "searching for and buying old records helps to keep our musical thirst alive and is a constant source of inspiration for both our DJ sets and our original productions." Here they've included tracks taking in Afro, Italo, soul, funk, disco, with many of the tracks costing hundreds if you were able to find the originals. Included in the booklet are extensive track notes from Faze Action highlighting what they know about these records and, where they are super-rare and obscure, what they don't. As always with Z Records compilations, a lot of time and effort has been spent on creating these masters from the original vinyl, cleaning them up, removing all the clicks and pops resulting in the cleanest sounding copy possible. Features Carol Dionne, Space, Mikki, Starz, Leston Paul, Michele Claire, Galaxy, Midway, Songhoi Band, Stylus, Oscar Perry, and Spats. Double-CD version features Bebe Manga , Saraba, Courtial, Errol Knowles, Delight, Phenix Horns Esquire, Disco Circus, Pilgrim Fathers Orchestra, Don Lurio, Space, and Tony Antoniou.

Double LP version. On his latest studio album, Scott Monteith, aka Deadbeat, ruminates with hard-earned wisdom and confidence upon the notion of carrying on in the face of worldwide nonsense. Wax Poetic For This Our Great Resolve began with the simple idea of asking friends from across the globe for messages of hope. No musical input was provided beforehand, and each participant was free to interpret the request as they saw fit. Though some of the names involved will be familiar to electronic music listeners (Gudrun Gut, Thomas Fehlmann, Mike Shannon), the common thread linking all of them is their friendship with Monteith and the many hours he has spent enjoying their company over the years. As so often happens when good conversation is shared among good friends, the results are as surprising as they are inspiring, spanning original prose, dialectic word games, and timeless quotations in six languages. Each song on the album was then composed around the content received, and named after the people who did the speaking. Ranging from the overtly political to the tenderly inspirational and many points in between, Wax Poetic For This Our Great Resolve provides verbal expressions of hope as diverse and rich as the experiences of the people who so generously delivered them. Musically the album sees Monteith taking his well-honed sound design abilities and widescreen arrangements to new heights, and exploring a deep interest in traditional analog recording methods to mesmerizing effect. Every sound on the record, whether generated from his tried-and-tested array of software-based tools, or from the enormous collection of guitars, organs, pianos, and percussion instruments found in the Berlin-based studio he now calls home, was recorded via microphone. Even as the very first track slowly fades into existence, it's clear that the smoke filled atmosphere of the place has penetrated the recordings to their very core. Indeed, it is no understatement to suggest that without the physical confines of the magical studio Chez Cherie, and the countless late night conversations and musical contributions of all the other beautiful souls who occupy it (T. Raumschmiere, Ben Laubner, Tilman Hopf, PC Christensen, and of course Cherie herself), this latest Deadbeat album would have been an impossibility. Wax Poetic For This Our Great Resolve is a document of collective action, and the power of community.

On his latest studio album, Scott Monteith, aka Deadbeat, ruminates with hard-earned wisdom and confidence upon the notion of carrying on in the face of worldwide nonsense. Wax Poetic For This Our Great Resolve began with the simple idea of asking friends from across the globe for messages of hope. No musical input was provided beforehand, and each participant was free to interpret the request as they saw fit. Though some of the names involved will be familiar to electronic music listeners (Gudrun Gut, Thomas Fehlmann, Mike Shannon), the common thread linking all of them is their friendship with Monteith and the many hours he has spent enjoying their company over the years. As so often happens when good conversation is shared among good friends, the results are as surprising as they are inspiring, spanning original prose, dialectic word games, and timeless quotations in six languages. Each song on the album was then composed around the content received, and named after the people who did the speaking. Ranging from the overtly political to the tenderly inspirational and many points in between, Wax Poetic For This Our Great Resolve provides verbal expressions of hope as diverse and rich as the experiences of the people who so generously delivered them. Musically the album sees Monteith taking his well-honed sound design abilities and widescreen arrangements to new heights, and exploring a deep interest in traditional analog recording methods to mesmerizing effect. Every sound on the record, whether generated from his tried-and-tested array of software-based tools, or from the enormous collection of guitars, organs, pianos, and percussion instruments found in the Berlin-based studio he now calls home, was recorded via microphone. Even as the very first track slowly fades into existence, it's clear that the smoke filled atmosphere of the place has penetrated the recordings to their very core. Indeed, it is no understatement to suggest that without the physical confines of the magical studio Chez Cherie, and the countless late night conversations and musical contributions of all the other beautiful souls who occupy it (T. Raumschmiere, Ben Laubner, Tilman Hopf, PC Christensen, and of course Cherie herself), this latest Deadbeat album would have been an impossibility. Wax Poetic For This Our Great Resolve is a document of collective action, and the power of community.

Musique Pour La Danse reissue two classic tunes by Ro Maron's alias Le Mystère with long-time collaborator Ferre Baelen, as well as two tracks which were exclusive to his anthology and that have never been released elsewhere. The release comes with a drawing by Ro Maron himself, in typical Genth style (Rembert's hometown) as well as liner notes written by the one and only Geert Sermon from Brussels, the man behind The Sound Of Belgium compilations. Re-mastered from original masters by Frederic Stader at Music Matters Mastering, and cut on lacquers by Emil Berliner.

On their latest album, Standards Vol. IV, the National Jazz Trio Of Scotland continue their engagement with classic and outsider pop traditions, subtly building on their characteristic blend of beguiling melodies and spare arrangements. There is even, dare we say it, a hint of jazz. Oblique visions of jazz aside, the album's most striking development is its focus on a single lead vocalist in Kate Sudgen, who has an understated approach with a real emotional pull. This is the first in a proposed series of albums to feature one singer from the NJTOS, with Gerard Black and Aby Vulliamy to follow. In 2012, Wells won the inaugural Scottish Album Of The Year award for Everything's Getting Older (2011), a collaboration with Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat. In 2011 he released Lemondale, recorded with Japan-based musicians, including Jim O'Rourke and Saya of Tenniscoats. Four years later, he assembled a stellar cast of musicians including Annette Peacock and Yo La Tengo for Nursery Rhymes, an exploration of the darker side of children's songs. Wells's penchant for détournement and bittersweet irony crops up throughout Standards Vol. IV. Take "Tinnitus Lullaby", where Sudgen softly sings over the melancholy twinkling of a music box like synth. "Anticipated Sentence" makes a wry reference to the Sinatra standard "I've Got The World On A String", a song Wells dislikes intensely. In Wells's song. Kohler's cheerful refrain of "What a world, what a life!" is twisted into something altogether darker, with the string around the protagonist's finger becoming a noose around their neck. "Move" is a vivid portrait of depression, where the protagonist spends all day in bed, listening to the sounds of helicopters buzzing overhead. Yet Wells animates the song with bossa nova guitar and clave rhythms, creating an effect that is, depending how you read it, ironic or uplifting. In addition to the ten Wells originals and a new version of the Aidan Moffat collaboration "Far From You", Standards Vol. IV features a cover of Richard Youngs's "Summer's Edge" from the latter's 2005 masterpiece Summer Wanderer. Wells has known Youngs since the 1990s, when they worked together with Future Pilot AKA. The National Jazz Trio's version taps into the uncanny pastoralism of the original, with Sudgen's clear reading of the melody set against Wells's glistening keyboard samples. Standards Vol. IV is an album characterized by its gorgeous blend of sophistication and vulnerability.

Efdemin, aka Phillip Sollmann, returns with a striking hybrid concept that merges the album format with the "continuous DJ mix" format, presenting completely new material in a seamless manner. This CD-mix, named Naïf, officially reinstates his label of the same name and is a sprawling tour of inner space featuring 19 distinct tracks from fellow producers (e.g. Margaret Dygas, Steve Bicknell, Jeroen Search, Pom Pom, Marco Shuttle, or Gunnar Haslam) along with an additional ten that feature Efdemin himself (either as soloist or collaborator). Naïf consists of completely unreleased/never-before-heard material from both himself and valued collaborators, all of which will eventually manifest as EP releases: two will be available on Curle Recordings, with an additional five on his own Naïf label. All of the individual contributions are combined here in a painstaking assembly process that took an entire year to complete, and the result is that the album flows with an almost paradoxical effortlessness from one style to the next. Besides the strong collection of tracks from well-known and undiscovered producers alike, it's Efdemin's own contributions that stand out. This becomes evident once the album opens with spectral, distant bells and homemade modular synth sounds leading into more unreleased Efdemin pieces, "Watte" and "Sirius", whose deep dub resonance will completely grab your attention. Later in the mix is electroacoustic textures of "Laveline", a collaboration with Konrad Sprenger. The standout composition on Naïf is Efdemin's infectious microtonal techno "Move Your Head" where Sollmann's voice hovers over distorted 808 patterns and immersive justly-tuned synth pads, pointing the way towards the formative, trailblazing influences that pre-dated techno: Silver Apples, This Heat and the drone aesthetic of Tony Conrad. A supporting cast of favorites turn in everything from blinding energy (Steve Bicknell's "Running Man"), to unrestrained ecstasy courtesy of Inland/Ed Davenport, to the overdriven lockstep groove of Cassegrain's Rhyw. Naïf is a release that will take several listens to fully explore, with each successive listen unearthing a new discovery. Also features Autolyse, Gürtler, WaWuWe, Kuf, Staffan Linzatti, DIN, Cassegrain, Pharaoh, Savas Pascalidis, Patrik SkoogJinge, tobias., Nihad Tule, Aubrey, and Simone Gatto. Four-panel digipak; Includes download card.

LP version. Includes download code. On their latest album, Standards Vol. IV, the National Jazz Trio Of Scotland continue their engagement with classic and outsider pop traditions, subtly building on their characteristic blend of beguiling melodies and spare arrangements. There is even, dare we say it, a hint of jazz. Oblique visions of jazz aside, the album's most striking development is its focus on a single lead vocalist in Kate Sudgen, who has an understated approach with a real emotional pull. This is the first in a proposed series of albums to feature one singer from the NJTOS, with Gerard Black and Aby Vulliamy to follow. In 2012, Wells won the inaugural Scottish Album Of The Year award for Everything's Getting Older (2011), a collaboration with Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat. In 2011 he released Lemondale, recorded with Japan-based musicians, including Jim O'Rourke and Saya of Tenniscoats. Four years later, he assembled a stellar cast of musicians including Annette Peacock and Yo La Tengo for Nursery Rhymes, an exploration of the darker side of children's songs. Wells's penchant for détournement and bittersweet irony crops up throughout Standards Vol. IV. Take "Tinnitus Lullaby", where Sudgen softly sings over the melancholy twinkling of a music box like synth. "Anticipated Sentence" makes a wry reference to the Sinatra standard "I've Got The World On A String", a song Wells dislikes intensely. In Wells's song. Kohler's cheerful refrain of "What a world, what a life!" is twisted into something altogether darker, with the string around the protagonist's finger becoming a noose around their neck. "Move" is a vivid portrait of depression, where the protagonist spends all day in bed, listening to the sounds of helicopters buzzing overhead. Yet Wells animates the song with bossa nova guitar and clave rhythms, creating an effect that is, depending how you read it, ironic or uplifting. In addition to the ten Wells originals and a new version of the Aidan Moffat collaboration "Far From You", Standards Vol. IV features a cover of Richard Youngs's "Summer's Edge" from the latter's 2005 masterpiece Summer Wanderer. Wells has known Youngs since the 1990s, when they worked together with Future Pilot AKA. The National Jazz Trio's version taps into the uncanny pastoralism of the original, with Sudgen's clear reading of the melody set against Wells's glistening keyboard samples. Standards Vol. IV is an album characterized by its gorgeous blend of sophistication and vulnerability.

Born in the high north of Germany and now a Berlin resident, Ralf Schmidt, aka Aera, first appeared on the electronic music map when he established his own Aleph Music label back in 2010. With only a handful of releases, Aera was able to lay out his very own musically topography on the cutting edges between house, psychedelia, and breakbeats. This colorful mix culminated on his debut album Offseason Traveller in 2013 (ALEPH 001CD/LP), resonating the past forty years of electronic music, which brought him the attention of a wider audience as well as fellow DJs and producers. So it was a logical consequence that his talent also attracted other labels and lead to widely praised releases on Innervisions, Maeve, or John Talabot's Hivern Discs. With these, Aera's sound bloomed further into bubbly acid and trancey territories and his fine reputation as a singular producer, travelling DJ, and remixer flourished. With The Sound Path Aera continues his musical travels on Permanent Vacation. His second album is the most coherent and definitely most personal work to date. Here, he has perfected his sound even further -- adding nuances from the meadows of new age, kraut cliffs, and high-flying kites of ambient. Complete with the cinematic and natural qualities of Ralf's music, it will draw you in deeply through a great variety of landscapes before your inner eye. However, you'll never lose track, because this path is beautifully illuminated. CD version comes in a jewel case and includes an eight-page booklet.

The first installment of 2018 for Balans is from the talented Parisian DJ and producer, Hemka. "707 Collision" rushes in with subtly shifting groove repetition, suspenseful melodies, and echoes of Detroit. The atmospheric "Nocturnal Rounds" keeps the fast-paced rhythm with added sci-fi flavor -- peak-time techno at its best. Balans boss, Tripeo, offers his own interpretation to the title track and following in that groove he works his magic to ecstatic, infectious effect in a playful, funky mood. "707 Collision (Tripeo Beatless Tool)", on the other hand, swaps the pressure for something much lighter -- a sublime journey to the deepside.

Following the reissues of 1997's Imagine-a-Nation (AD 004LP) and 1995's Le Fusion, Anotherday present a special release from the vault of the enigma that is Spencer Kincy, AKA Gemini: Gemini's first four releases, lovingly re-mastered and packaged together in a very limited box set titled The Beginning. Originally released on Relief Records, the Chicago techno label headed up by Cajmere, these releases were Gemini's introduction into the worlds of house and techno, and contain some of his most vital works. As one of Chicago's most mysterious and revered characters, the story of Gemini has become something of a myth in recent years -- blazing a trail throughout the '90s, prolifically releasing over 200 tracks from 1994 to 1999, Spencer's music had shades innovation and soul few of his peers could match. Then, suddenly, at the peak of his career, he disappeared. As before, this album has been licensed directly from the man himself, and the money made from its exploitation will go directly to him. The Beginning compiles The Beginning (1994), U Know How I Feel (1994), Imagine A Nation (1994), and Welcome To The Future (1995). Edition of 500.

Transversales Disques present a reissue of Bernard Baschet and Michel Deneuve's 4 Espaces Sonores, originally released in 1982. Rare 1979 recording of Bernard Baschet performing on his Sound Sculptures. The Baschet brothers are known worldwide as creators of Sound Sculptures, fantastic shapes of molded metal and glass, which combine the visual arts with music. François Baschet had always been fascinated by acoustics, by the relationships between the shape and material of an instrument and the beauty of its sound. Bernard Baschet was passionately interested in contemporary music and firmly believed that such instruments were the proper tools for modern music, for they offered, to the artist and performer, a personal means of expression denied by electronic devices. Together the brothers began to design and produce Sound Sculptures, which could also be regarded as musical instruments. Circa 1965, Bernard worked alongside Pierre Schaeffer as a member of the GRM (Musical Research Group) on the elaboration of what was to become Schaeffer's Traité des objets musicaux ("Treatise on Musical Objects"). The Baschet brothers also created structures and instruments of all sizes, including bell towers, windmills, and fountains, using the natural elements of wind and water to make music. Bernard Baschet was especially proud of his pedagogical work amongst deprived and handicapped children, with the instrumentaium made up of fourteen pieces. Double-LP comes in gatefold sleeve.

Triple-CD reissue. Originally released as a triple cassette of only 66 copies. Âmes Sanglantes means "bloody souls". Nowhere else in Âmes Sanglantes' sprawling and massive wild/punk/junk discography has this idea been more focused than on the epic and original Chindia Tower Impalements, as well as on cult tapes like Anti-Anti (1999), Mega Star Barbies, Violation, and the immense and impossible 12-hour-long Crackdown cassette box from Hospital Productions last year. This newly remastered version is the definitive document revealing the cruelty of the Wallachian landscape myths and realities. Dracula vs. Vlad Tepes... Caustic, brittle, and eerie, the six long-duration tracks secure Âmes Sanglantes as one of the most original and overlooked extreme electronic monikers of the '90s North American cassette underground. Distorted but textural where the voices of young androgynous screams mingle together with chirping birds and wolf breath. It's the subtle layering and tape splicing structure beneath the crust that elevates this above the average "noise" recording. You will have to dig and claw past the walls built out of clay bricks, but beyond that is a rich and subtle world of loops equal parts Georges Braque and William Basinski, like collapsing scaffolding melting and crumbling on top of each other. This is rotting electro-acoustic studies where one can see a portrait float to the surface in the rippling and muddy puddles. Shockingly, after nearly 100+ cassette-only release since 1996, this comes forward as the first Âmes Sanglantes compact disc. A true student of the '90s, you'll find a stunning presentation that is equal parts in reference to Cold Meat Industry as well as Japan's Alchemy Records. So open up the old CD changer, light a few candles, and a pour the red wine for an epic that revives the imagination of times lost and losses yet to come. RIYL: William Basinski, Incapacitants, Brighter Death Now, and the early works of Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement. Remastered by Paul Corley (Oneohtrix Point Never, Ben Frost, Prurient). Eight-panel, foil block digipack.

LP version. Metallic color artwork. Includes eight-page 12x12" booklet and download code; Edition of 500. For this from that will be filled is the debut album by Clarice Jensen, artistic director of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME). The album explores the variable differences between acoustic and electronic sound as well as depiction of the simulated and the unconscious. It was originally conceived as a collaboration between Jensen and the artist Jonathan Turner as an audio-visual work, but is here presented in it's pure audible form. Building on a long and romantic tradition of solo cello repertoire, Jensen expands and confuses the familiar sound of the cello through the use of effects pedals, multi-tracking, and tape loops recorded at variable speeds, presented in works she has written for herself as well as a piece she conceived together with Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson. Also featured is Michael Harrison's "Cello Constellations" for multi-tracked cello and sine tones, written for Jensen, which meditates on long, sustaining tones. With For This From That Will Be Filled, Jensen has made an incredibly strong first album that feels like a surreal and futuristic journey through an alternate timeline.

Central to the Israeli club scene, Deep'a & Biri have long been defying expectations even within a community they helped construct. Serving as resident DJs, activists, and bookers for Tel Aviv's legendary Barzilay Club, the pair helped build a transcendent club scene. Now based in Berlin, for Deep'a & Biri, things are much the same, even if the landscape and the city is different. Always rooted in the fertile ground between machines and emotion, on their second full-length LP, Dominance, the duo demonstrates their unique grasp of the sensitive, unfolding relationship between man and machine. Steadfast in their insistence never to remain in one lane in terms of their sound, Dominance flawlessly segues between forcefulness and weightlessness. From beginning to end, this is not a record afraid to show its teeth with an uncompromising, instantly recognizable techno palette that kicks the foundations of any sound system with menace, anger, and determination, particularly on tracks such as the dense "Voltage" and pulsing throughout the more industrial flourishes of "École De Nancy" and "Seeking Solace". Beyond these grittier, although never mindless, moments of authority, a sense of escapism and curiosity imbues the album. "Alpha Cephei" offers the first hint of Deep'a & Biri's more wistful concepts, producing a smoke trail of twinkling electronics out of a smudged but distinctive bassline. That understated sense of emotional catharsis carries throughout, to be found between the complex-yet-familiar bells that drive the rhythm of "Flow Diverter" to a Detroit-indebted landscape that will surely instantly elasticate any keen dancers, while "False Memories" offers big-room techno fulfillment with none of the character or sincerity removed for cheap thrills. Saving the most remarkable moments for last, the pair sign off "Dominance" with the poignant and purifying "Astral Trails", fusing an ethereal, ambient landscape with the more pronounced rhythms of their hardware. The album's distinctive artwork comes from the studio of Jewish orthodox artist Avraham Guy Barchil, who forged a powerful connection with Deep'a, both was immediately drawn to "weird atmosphere, amazing technique and emotions involved with his work". Ensuring their natural, conscious touch always remains at the forefront of this unapologetically machine-driven music, Deep'a & Biri have produced an album in the lineage of their heroes and greatest influences. Cerebral yet satisfying, deep yet always engaging, Dominance both reasserts and evolves Deep'a & Biri's forward facing and singular sound.

The Uhrwald ("Clockwood") -- a place of dreams and sounds, with its own sense of time. Channeled into his band Die Wilde Jagd, Sebastian Lee Philipp's obsession for this place unleashes a uniquely spellbinding project of minimalist, tenebrous intensity. Recorded in the studio which lends its name to the sophomore album, Uhrwald Orange weaves a dense, atmospheric web of drama, romance, ecstasy, and melancholy. Die Wilde Jagd released their debut album in 2015 (BB 203CD/LP) when Philipp teamed up with producer Ralf Beck (Nalin & Kane, Unit 4). Beck excused himself from "daily business" shortly afterwards, but he retains an important influence on the new LP: Not only did he co-produce and mix the tracks (joined by Australian producer Kris Baha in the final mixdown process), but his collection of vintage analog synthesizers, drum computers, and studio equipment gives Die Wilde Jagd's music its unique, dexterously crafted character. Philipp locked himself in Beck's Uhrwald Orange studio for nights on end to transfer sonic interpretations of his world of images to tape: a nocturnal flight into the subconscious, into a strange world ("Fremde Welt") where ghostly creatures reside -- acid horses, bat boys, 2000 elephants ("Säuregäule", "Flederboy", "2000 Elefanten"). Flemish artist Frans Snyder (1579-1657) provides inspiration with his painting "Animals of the Night" as does the 14th-century collection of songs "Llibre Vermell de Montserrat". Philipp's repetitive electronic sequences include Mediterranean mandolins, psychedelic bass/guitar loops, Georgian choirs, and rattling North African krakebs. Medieval church music mixes with European folklore and improvised jams on this aural journey through the Orient and Occident -- from dark Nordic woods to the Eastern dawn. Philipp offers an insight into his hermetic world of ideas on eight tracks, enriched by sounds of nature captured on a trip through Portugal. Uhrwald Orange is, of course, also Philipp's ode to the recording studio itself, to the analog gear and the ubiquitous EMT Plate reverb. This is where he could realize the sound he imagined, all within Beck's own framework of compressors, preamps and signal paths. Philipp on his work in the studio: "I want to make the equipment in the studio sing, build a world of sound in which every tone, every effect has its own voice. . . . Every element can be found amongst the dwellers and natural forces of the 'Clockwood Orange'."

Bridging instrumental tact with melodic mysticism, live act and DJ duo Hidden Empire present their debut album Mind Palace, the fruit of their labor of one whirlwind year. On Stil Vor Talent they find a welcome home, having already gained traction with several releases on the label as well as other renowned imprints such as Suara and Filth On Acid. Ranging from downtempo electronica to iterative techno with groovy house incursions, the diversity of the genres explored across the 12 tracks mirror the Cologne-based artists' own sonorous influences as well as their diverse musical sympathies. Fluid, atmospheric tracks set a consistently lush vibe overall, from the esoteric kick-off track "Journey Into Self" to subtle warm-up tools like the oriental-instilled "Hummus" and "Fafnir", or the couple's first vocal collaboration "Pure". Fellow Cologne singer Inga Nelke brings a touch of sensuality with her soft vocal chops atop a broken beat-infused melody accented with gripping piano chords. But it's in club tracks that the album abounds, found often in antithetical pairings, whether it's the marriage of a Moog bassline and warm Caribbean rhythms in "Limbo In Detroit" or the juxtaposition of analog and digital rhythms on "In The Woods", created using Sylvan Recordings as percussion. It's the title track "Mind Palace", however, that reaches the apex of antipolar combinations, displaying a breakbeat-heavy lead doused in exotic vocals perched onto a steady bassline, underlining the artists' knack for innovative rhythms. A nod to the classic heydays of acid comes in the shape of "Acid Flashback", centered around a massive synth hook courtesy of the iconic Roland 303, a tinge slightly present on the spiraling fierce cut "Asmoday", albeit a fraction more subtle. Energy is one of the key traits of the album, as Branko and Niklas conceive a copious amount of hard-hitting tracks that amplify and engage towards the second half of the record. "Black Beauty" oozes stamina from the get-go, its relentless groove guiding a subdued bassline and minimal elements towards the peak point. With "Natural Takeover", a tech powerhouse with a tenacious lead and ominous vocals, the album reaches its darkest corner of the "Mind Palace" universe. All in all, the artists showcase a plethora of straightforward tracks with heterogeneous sound aesthetics, where a closer listen can only reveal further and more elaborate depths. Includes download code.

"SOS - Save our Souls!" This was the idea behind something that started in 1997 and that goes on until today: The SOS party series. A party made by friends for friends -- back then, just like today. The strong emotions of these long friendships set the keynote for the sound of this compilation, which celebrates the 20th anniversary. It is remixes made by friends for friends. Their sound has been influenced by the SOS parties, and at the same time their sound has inspired this collection -- just like this collection of music will do in the future. The sound of a party that has been going on for 20 years. Features Timboletti, Dole & Kom, Acid Pauli, Be Svendsen, jPattersson, Herrhausen & Treindl, Mollono.Bass, Zigan Aldi, Sandeck, Pophop, The Glitz, Peng Peng, Mollono.Bass, Tito & Tarantula, Kombinat 100, Ava Asante, René Bourgeois, Monolink, Green Lake, and The Micronaut.

For this from that will be filled is the debut album by Clarice Jensen, artistic director of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME). The album explores the variable differences between acoustic and electronic sound as well as depiction of the simulated and the unconscious. It was originally conceived as a collaboration between Jensen and the artist Jonathan Turner as an audio-visual work, but is here presented in it's pure audible form. Building on a long and romantic tradition of solo cello repertoire, Jensen expands and confuses the familiar sound of the cello through the use of effects pedals, multi-tracking, and tape loops recorded at variable speeds, presented in works she has written for herself as well as a piece she conceived together with Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson. Also featured is Michael Harrison's "Cello Constellations" for multi-tracked cello and sine tones, written for Jensen, which meditates on long, sustaining tones. With For This From That Will Be Filled, Jensen has made an incredibly strong first album that feels like a surreal and futuristic journey through an alternate timeline. CD version comes in an initial edition of 300; Digipak.

Double LP version. Includes download code. Born in the high north of Germany and now a Berlin resident, Ralf Schmidt, aka Aera, first appeared on the electronic music map when he established his own Aleph Music label back in 2010. With only a handful of releases, Aera was able to lay out his very own musically topography on the cutting edges between house, psychedelia, and breakbeats. This colorful mix culminated on his debut album Offseason Traveller in 2013 (ALEPH 001CD/LP), resonating the past forty years of electronic music, which brought him the attention of a wider audience as well as fellow DJs and producers. So it was a logical consequence that his talent also attracted other labels and lead to widely praised releases on Innervisions, Maeve, or John Talabot's Hivern Discs. With these, Aera's sound bloomed further into bubbly acid and trancey territories and his fine reputation as a singular producer, travelling DJ, and remixer flourished. With The Sound Path Aera continues his musical travels on Permanent Vacation. His second album is the most coherent and definitely most personal work to date. Here, he has perfected his sound even further -- adding nuances from the meadows of new age, kraut cliffs, and high-flying kites of ambient. Complete with the cinematic and natural qualities of Ralf's music, it will draw you in deeply through a great variety of landscapes before your inner eye. However, you'll never lose track, because this path is beautifully illuminated.

LP version. Includes CD. The Uhrwald ("Clockwood") -- a place of dreams and sounds, with its own sense of time. Channeled into his band Die Wilde Jagd, Sebastian Lee Philipp's obsession for this place unleashes a uniquely spellbinding project of minimalist, tenebrous intensity. Recorded in the studio which lends its name to the sophomore album, Uhrwald Orange weaves a dense, atmospheric web of drama, romance, ecstasy, and melancholy. Die Wilde Jagd released their debut album in 2015 (BB 203CD/LP) when Philipp teamed up with producer Ralf Beck (Nalin & Kane, Unit 4). Beck excused himself from "daily business" shortly afterwards, but he retains an important influence on the new LP: Not only did he co-produce and mix the tracks (joined by Australian producer Kris Baha in the final mixdown process), but his collection of vintage analog synthesizers, drum computers, and studio equipment gives Die Wilde Jagd's music its unique, dexterously crafted character. Philipp locked himself in Beck's Uhrwald Orange studio for nights on end to transfer sonic interpretations of his world of images to tape: a nocturnal flight into the subconscious, into a strange world ("Fremde Welt") where ghostly creatures reside -- acid horses, bat boys, 2000 elephants ("Säuregäule", "Flederboy", "2000 Elefanten"). Flemish artist Frans Snyder (1579-1657) provides inspiration with his painting "Animals of the Night" as does the 14th-century collection of songs "Llibre Vermell de Montserrat". Philipp's repetitive electronic sequences include Mediterranean mandolins, psychedelic bass/guitar loops, Georgian choirs, and rattling North African krakebs. Medieval church music mixes with European folklore and improvised jams on this aural journey through the Orient and Occident -- from dark Nordic woods to the Eastern dawn. Philipp offers an insight into his hermetic world of ideas on eight tracks, enriched by sounds of nature captured on a trip through Portugal. Uhrwald Orange is, of course, also Philipp's ode to the recording studio itself, to the analog gear and the ubiquitous EMT Plate reverb. This is where he could realize the sound he imagined, all within Beck's own framework of compressors, preamps and signal paths. Philipp on his work in the studio: "I want to make the equipment in the studio sing, build a world of sound in which every tone, every effect has its own voice. . . . Every element can be found amongst the dwellers and natural forces of the 'Clockwood Orange'."

The irresistible pairing of Steve Bug and Langenberg present Paradise Sold, a full vinyl album of exquisitely crafted house music on Bug's own Poker Flat Recordings. The album is a masterclass in house music production and came to life as a true collaborative work. "It feels great to work with Max and I don't know why we didn't get to work together earlier," says Steve Bug. "It feels very natural to be in the studio together and our two worlds match easily. I think I speak for the both of us when I say that by combining forces, we came up with tunes we wouldn't have created on our own." The album is centered around hardware heavy production made with a blend of legendary and aesthetic synthesizers like the Juno 60 and 106, Studio Electronics Omega 8, or the classic Roland TB 303 and mixed by legendary mixing engineer Hannes Bieger, who mixed tracks for producers like Dixon, Ame, Ben Klock, Stephan Bodzin, Ellen Allien, DJ Tennis, and many more. Neither Steve Bug nor Langenberg needs much introduction due to the sizeable contributions both have made in building the European house and techno scene as we know it. Bug's relentless commitment to quality -- both in his own work and in the many producers he has championed -- has made him one of electronic music's most revered artists and curators.

"Cultures of Soul Records has teamed up with local Boston disco queen Saucy Lady to put together a 12", released in conjunction with their Tokyo Nights: Female J-Pop Boogie Funk compilation. This 12" features a cover of the sublime song 'Town,' originally recorded by Minako Yoshida. The B-side is a cover of 'Honey B,' originally written and recorded by Toshinobu Kubota. Both tracks are recreated and produced by Saucy Lady and Yuki 'U-KEY' Kanesaka. Originally from Japan with a bi-cultural background, Saucy Lady is a character with an attitude of confidence and sensuality. She represents in her music what we've all admired about the disco era. Saucy Lady brings back the eclectic, outrageous fashion and cultural diversity that comprised the nightclub scenes in the '70s and '80s."